Island of the Dawn
by marionporter
Summary: Hak and Yona wash up on an unknown island and must work to survive if they want to make it back to their friends. Brutal secrets belie this paradise, but will they serve to strengthen their bond or break them both? WARNING: Rating will increase to M if there is demand for more chapters.


Hak woke up with eyes stinging from salt and the mid afternoon sun. Slowly remembering the events of the night before he froze. His heart felt as it were racing and paralyzed at once. _Where is she?_ Fearfully raising his head, and scanning the now tranquil beach, he noticed a tumble of red hair racing towards him.

"Hak! Thank god you're okay" she spoke, trying to suppress the tears that had welled up at the thought of losing him.

"Princess... are you hurt?"

She smiled at his compulsive care taking, then shook her head. "Where are Yoon and the dragons?" She inquired, with an expression of obvious concern.

"The got separated from us when ship went down" Hak frowned.

"What now?" Yona asked, both to her companion and to herself.

"We need to find freshwater if we're gonna be able to survive out here."

"I'll go that way," she pointed to the end of the beach with the most vegetation encroaching upon the shore "and walk along the beach to see if there are any waterways that come meet the ocean on the this part of the island."

"Okay..." Hak agreed, despite his unease at leaving her alone in uncharted territory. He didn't want to undermine her, and he was hoping that at least some of the things they had been carrying might have washed up on the beach as well. Watching her head off in search of water he noted how her wet robes hinted at the true outline of her form; reminding him how much she had matured since they were children. He could **just** see the silhouette of her delicately curvy legs through her white skirt thanks to translucency gifted by the angle of the sun. He thought she looked like a goddess.

Sighing, he took off the excess wet robes clinging to his shoulders and chest before combing down the other side of the beach with the hope he would encounter some of their missing baggage. About 500 meters away he saw the large piece of the shipwreck they had used to stay afloat before ending up in this place. Nearing the splintered wood he caught the familiar glint of his weapon lodged soundly within the wood. He had no recollection of stabbing it into the buoyant detritus, but felt thankful none the less at prior actions because they afforded him the feint feeling of regaining control having his favorite tool at his side.

After collecting what was left of the supplies from the large backpack he normally carried, Hak became aware of day's slow fade into evening. He also became increasingly aware of Yona's absence. Needless to say he took no time moving out in the direction in which she'd disappeared earlier. Soon finding a small stream along the shore he followed it inland in search of the princess. Hearing a slight rustle from the foliage above, he craned his neck up only to find the object of his distress clinging to the top of a tree while grabbing for a bushel of bananas just out of her reach. She was so focused on the task at hand she hadn't even taken notice of his arrival. Silently he watched her struggle, admiring the way her skirt bunched up just below her hips... that was until he noticed the angry red scratches marring her pale legs.

"Yona!" he shouted, right as she'd finally secured the fruit. Startled, she came tumbling down to the forest floor fruit in hand.

"Hak! Don't scare me like that!"

"You're one to talk! Where have you been?"

Her face flushed with frustration and embarrassment. Muttering under her breath she forcefully handed him the food before letting her small hands wander over lower back trying to massage the inevitable bruise on her behind out of existence. Feeling comforted by her familiar aggression, Hak offered Yona his hand and smirked, "Would you like me to rub that for you, princess?"

"Very funny, Hak", was her unamused reply, however it was hard to take seriously with the deepened tint of her cheeks and inability to meet his eyes.

"Come on, we should go back. It's getting dark and we don't know what kind of people or animals live around here."

"Okay" she relented and grabbed his hand.

Together they walked back to the beach where they had washed ashore. Amicable quiet engulfed the two as they each mentally ran through the question of possible sleeping arrangements for the night. Hak was usually comfortable sleeping outside with no sort of bed or shelter while Yona was far less capable of ignoring the discomfort. Judging by the daytime temperature and humidity however, even Hak knew better than to act tough tonight. It was unlikely that the snakes and insects on the island were nearly as innocuous as the ones that tormented Kija on the mainland. He eventually came to the conclusion that the safest thing for both of them would be to fashion the tarp that was usually reserved for making Yun and Yona's tent into a hammock for the night.

Hak got to work setting up their ersatz hammock while Yona took inventory of what could be salvaged from their original supplies. By the time she had finished he was already lounging in the hammock, eyes closed, hands resting behind his head. He always looked so serene when he posed like that, but she knew better than to believe he'd fallen asleep already. Hak was always alert.

Despite knowing he was awake, she still carefully climbed up into the hammock (which happened to be much farther off the ground than was easily accessible to her). In spite of her effort not to disturb him she ended up falling on top of him once she had finally made it over the side. Eyes still closed, his arms immediately wound around her waist holding her to his body. Like a Chinese finger trap, the more she tried to adjust herself out that embarrassingly intimate position the more his grip obstinately fasten around her.

Eventually settling down, she rested her head on his warm chest. His heart was beating fast, though she would never have been able to tell by his face or actions... _maybe he's nervous too..._ she blushed even harder at the thought. Letting go of her fear, she allowed his warmth and comforting scent to transport her.


End file.
